Vivien's stress issue, also all of ours.

As said in the previous post, there would be a discussion of Vivien's stress issue on my blog.

In Language Arts today, we had a few frameworks in which we agreed to discuss the issue in.
We could discuss them in terms of:

1) Cause VS Effect
2) Problems VS Solutions
3) Past, Present, Future
4) Personal VS General
5) Here VS There (Worldwide VS Singapore)
6) Means VS Ends

Points being raised:
- Overloading of quantity of assignments, PDP, group assignments (Culprit: teachers/school)
- Group work requires more time/energy
- Time table structure (we're working against time table structure)
- School events as well (usually do not end on time)

-> Stress is caused by competition! Competitive atmosphere & peers (Culprit: students)
-> There's a fear of losing out, there's a constant need to keep up or perform better. Here's the killer: some of us don't even realise that we have this innate need or want.
-> Time sacrificed: Opportunity cost-> Friendship, rest and time.
-> Forces one to bring out best quality work, but at the expense of the worsening of one's character; because we work so extremely hard for our work, we refuse to share, selfishness is being bred.
-> Brings out worst in character: Lives by the laws of the jungle - Survival of the fittest.

Solutions:
- Fewer subjects
- Alternate week time table (Science week, all sciences are studied this week. Humanities week etc.)



This entire situation is very ironic as it goes against the very reason we have the Intergrated Programme in the first place. The ideal IP wishes to reduce, or have no tests. But here we see that studies are all consuming! It consumes all our time and energy, which defeats the purpose of why we are here: to develop other aspects of our mind, not just academically but also our various interests. With so much emphasis being placed on us doing work and mugging, where would one find the time to pursue other interests? Music and dance for example. We have no remaining time nor energy to participate in these events.

Also, stress plays a big role here. All performances are tested, even Physical Education. Using an example of Mr Ho Foo Him, Math A teacher, he said, "I don't believe in this no test system. If the school doesn't give you test, I will personally give! Integration test next week, make sure you know ALL your concepts." RAHH. Tests create pressure, eagerness to do well also creates pressure. We're all in a rat race and have fear of losing out in terms of our future, our standard of living etc.

Of course, we can escape from this rat race, but everything has a price doesn't it? Including escape, so we examine the price to pay for running away here.
- We suffer MORE pressure from parents, school, and our self esteem cannot take this degradation. Can you imagine your progress report? "Eugene has been pon-tanging class for the past term and he says it's because he wants to escape from the rat race." My progress report would be as tall as a mountain. Thus, we draw the conclusion that we cannot break off from the social norm without paying a high price.

Also, for dropping pressure we have a high price. Let us examine that:
1) Parents, schools, self-esteem (as previously mentioned)
2) We would be treated as social misfits, the discrimination treatment. The moment someone sees you're a school dropout, the first thing that comes to your mind is: "there MUST be something wrong with this kid, Johnny you are to STAY AWAY from him, is that clear?"
3) And after this, yes we'd have a harder route to success.

And a comment from Sze Sian which sparks off another discussion:
"Ms Cheah, I feel that the ultimate reason behind pressure is due to the pursuit of progress in society."


We have now come to a case study: The Terence Experiment.

We have an ideal equation:
Less stress + less opportunity cost = more money => ideal scenario, but impossible to achieve.

In the world now, it either is:

More stress, more opportunity cost = more money.
OR
Less stress, less opportunity cost = less money.

We cannot have the best of these both worlds, and so we have come to the conlusion with two possible solutions:

1) We can either lower the self expectations of richness, glory and wealth etc. (75% instead of 100% for my math test.) But this doesn't solve the problem! Our parents still have expectations of us, so do teachers etc.

So, solution 2 was formed.

2) Parents, school, teachers and global expectations have to be lowered also! Number 2 cannot exist without number 1; we cannot be so slack, and yet bear all the ugly remarks in the progress report, and bear the scolidng at the same time.)




Here, we reach a conclusion on our stress issue. Now we all know why students are so stressed out; it's a vicious cycle. We cannot escape from this stress, neither can the adults. It's because the adults love to compare themselves to us, saying, "if you don't experience it now, you will have a hard time adapting in future."

Ah now I say to hell with the future. People, just work as hard as you think you should. And don't push yourselves over the bridge!

I'm hungry.. And I'm off to dinner, tata!

Eugene